Grenade thrower or gun



S. P. JOHNSON.

GRENADE THRowER 0R GUN.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 18| 1920.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.'

.mue/afar IIIII'IIIII QIIII III NETE; TFS

rarest erica STUART P. JOHNSGN, CF "WASHINGTON, DISTRICT 0F COLUMBIA, ASSIG-NOR- T NEWTON ID. BAKER., SECRETARY OF WAR, TRUSTEE.

GRENABE THROW/'E131 OBJ GUN.

raiser?.

Specification of Lettera Patent.

Eatented Apr. d, 1922.

Application filed October 18, V192C'. Serial No. 417,800.

To all cli/toml t 'may conce/rn.' n

Be it known that l, STUART l. JoHNsoN, a citizen of the Unit-ed States, and a resident of VVashing-ton, District ot Columbia, have invented an Improvement in Grenade ThroWers or Guns, of which the following is a speciication.v 4

The invention described herein may be used by the Government, or any of its oticcrs or employees in prosecution of Work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, Without payment ci' any royalty thereon, in accordance with the Act of March 3, 1883. l

The subject of this invention is an ordnance device intended, primarily, as a grenade throWer or gun.

ln designing a device oi this character it is desirable that the ordinary service cartridgermay be used therein tor the reason that the distribution Vot' various kinds of ammunition to troops would lead to many mistakes and delays and place an unnecessary burden on the troops and on those supplying them With ammunition.

' Since some grenades projected from a grenade throvver or gun, such as a pyrotechnic grenade, have very thin casings or bodies itis essential that means be provided to prevent the bulletoi an .ordinary service cartridge from penetrating or injuring the. shell of the grenade,

It is further desirableV that -thc grenade used in a grenade thrower or gun be a solid one with no center passage therethrough tor the escape of the bullet so'that the full effect of the gases in explosion may be' cent-ered upon the grenade to propel the same 'from the gun.V

In designing a gun ot' .this character it is an advantage if the same can be so designed as to utilize parts ot old, Worn-out rifles or guns.

For the purpose oi securing accuracy ot tire 'it is necessary that a grenade gun be designed to be tired from the shoulder ot the user rather than by the old method of placing the butt of the gun upon the ground or against some other fined and substantial support.

For the purpose of securing the hereinbefore mentioned advantages and overcomino the heretofore mentioned objections the present invention consistsvgenerally in a grenade gun provided With a shock absorber in the stock thereof and a barrel de* signed for attachment in place of the barrel ot an ordinary riie and provided with a cartridge chamber 'so constructed as to relieve the pressure or the gases of explosion upon the bullet and so retard the flight of the bullet as to prevent the same from injuring or penetrating the grenade thrower or casing.

Specifically the invention consists in a barrel ca able ot attachment in place of the barre of an ordinary rifle and having a cartridge chamber from one-sixteenth to one-eighth inch longer than the cartridge shell and formed to permit the neck of the shell to expand under the pressure ot the gases ot explosionA and to shear lrom the shell bodv at the base of the bullet. lNith t Lese and other objects in view the invention consists in a novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiments of the device herein disclosed may be made Within the scope of what is claimed Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A practical embodimentof the invention shown in the accompanyingV drawing, wherein-- y l Fi'. l is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of a grenadevthrower constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged 'fragmentary vien7 in longitudinal section showing the cartridge chamber and a portion oi:l the'barrel with a cartridge in place in the chamber anda grenade in position in the barrel;

Figp is a view in elevation showing the condition of the shell after firing.

Referring to the drawings by numerals ot reference: The lock orrcenter portion of an ordinary rifle is shown carried by a stock l and provided With a bolt 2 carrying the firing pin 8 which is released by the trigger 4. This portion of the rifle is provided with the usual block 5 which is apertured and threaded as at 6 for the'reception of the rifle barrel.

The portion of the device involved in the present invention consists of a barrel 7, of

enlarged diameter, capable of receiving the ordinary grenade, the rear end of which barrel is interior-ly threaded to receive the breech ciosure block 8, which Yblock is centrally apertured and threaded for the reception olf the member` 9, the extending rear end of which is threaded to engage with the threads G on the block 5 and so assemble the barrel Vwith the lock mechanism. It desired, the barrel T may be secured in place by means of the locking screw which is threaded through theiiorward portion oi the stock, the barrel 7, and breech closure block 8 into member 9.

'The member 9 is centrally apertured to provide a cartridge chamber 11, the forward portion or which is or reduced bore forming an annular1 shoulder 1Q adapt-ed to enga-ge the cartridge shell at the point at which said shell begins to taper from the neck. The reduced portion 13 of the bore is ot a diameter suiiicient to receive loosely the neck ot' the cartridge so as to permit the same to expand freely under pressure o't the gases ot expiosion while the annular shoulder 12 prevents the cartridge from being thrust iorward beyond the desired distance. 11s shown the torward portion ot' the member 9 in which is formed the reduced bore 13 eX- tends forwardly ot the breech closure block 8 and into the. rear ofthe bore of the barrel 7. This 'forwardlyextending portion is provided with a series oi: radially extending apertures 11i which communicate with the bore 13 and with the bore ot the barrel T and which are so situated as tobe located in a-plane at right angles to the axis oi.I the bore and passing adjacent Vthe rear ot' the bullet ot the ordinary service cartridge.

VFrom a consideration of Fig. 2 it will be seen that the cartridge shell 15 lfits snugly in the chamber 11 and contacts theY annular shoulder 12, with the neck 16 of the cartridge projecting into the reduced bore 13 and the bullet 17 extending, for the majorlportion of its length, into the bore ot the barrel 7 and forming a stop against which the grenade 18 rests, thus assuring a` uniform and constant spacing ot the grenade from the base of the barrel. Y y

In order that the device may be readily tired from the shoulder of the operator, the stock l is provided with a recess in its 'butt end adapted to'receirve a casing 19 which is tapped for the reception ot' the piston rod 20 and a pair of spring guides 21--2L Slidably mounted in t-hel rear of the casing 19 is a casing 22 which is tapped to receive a cylinderY 23 in which works a piston 2-1- mounted on the piston rod 20. Coiled springs 9.5-25 encircle the guides 21-21 with Vtheir forward ends abutting the head of the casing 19 Vand their rear ends abutting the head of the casing 22 for the purpose of holding the casings in normally extended position.

The operation or the device is'as -follows: The firing mechanism operates in the usual way, Cartridges being automatically ted to the cartridge chamber and tired by actuation of the trigger 4 to release the tiring pin Upon explosion of the powder in the cartridge shell 15, the neck 16 will be expanded to iill the bore 13 and the force of the gases of explosion -will 'further shear the neck 16 through the apertures 1% and sever the neck Yfrom the main portion of the shell at the base of the bullet. Since the bullet is practically unconfined, extending as it does for the major portion oi2 its length` Yinto the bore of the barrel 7, the gases are iree to escape around the bullet and exert thereon a very slight propelling force, so that the acceleration of the bullet is such as not to equal or more than equal the acceleration of the grenade, the consequences being that the bullet is incapable ot injuring the grenade and its flight is so reduced that it carries but a short distance and not with suiiicient force to become a. menace to the troops in the vicinity of the operation oi the gun. Y l

Upon 'the recoil of the gun the piston Q1 travels in the cylinder 23 compressing the air therein and taking up the shock ot recoil. This shock is also partially absorbed by the springs 25-25 which, atter being compressed, act to restore the parts to normal position.

I-Iaving described myY invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a grenade gun, a cartridgechamber having a bore for the reception of the main portion Voi the cartridge shell and a reduced bore for the reception oifr the4 neck ot' the cartridge. shell, the diameter of the reduced bore being greater than the diameter oit ,the neck of the cartridge shellV andv means communicating with the reduced bore whereby the force of the gases-ot explosion will sever the neck of the cartridge shell 'from the main portion thereof.

2. In combination with a grenade gun provided withA a cartridge 'chamber and Ya barrel, a cartridge positioned in the'chamber and a grenade positioned in the barrel, and

normally resting against the nose oithe. bullet of the cartridge.

3. In combination witha grenade gun provided with a cartridge chamber and a barrel, a cartridge positioned in the chanber, a grenade positioned in the barrel and normally resting against the nose of the bullet ot the cartridge and means for absorbing the shock of Yrecoil of the gun.

STUART I); JOHNSON. 

